AT THE CRACK OF DAWN (echopaw)

Echopaw was glad that her mentor slowed down for her. Maybe what the queens said about her was all lies. She wouldn't be surprised though, this wasn't the first time they lied. She didn't realize this becaise she was lost in thought, but the area started to thin with less brambles and trees to provide shade. In fact, the once dark place was replaced with a clearing ahead, and with it a thick musk of something other then Shadowclan presented itself. Echopaw scrunched her nose up as she scented it, and even before her mentor told her to taste the air she could already smell it. She had been this far from home, from the securing brambles and towering trees to this desolate place she was now in. It was a bit scary to her, but she couldn't help but feel... almost alive by this. Echopaw thought, 'This is what it's like to be a warrior huh?'

Her mentor made her guess where she was, maybe testing her intelligence. She hasn't been outside before, but even she knew that it could either be Riverclan or Thunderclan. Windclan's borders were far from them. She couldn't really trust her nose, so she had to trust her mind and eyes. She already noticed how bare the place was. She also saw from far away a black river, and she was shocked that a river could actually turn that dark. She thought wide-eyed, 'How is it even possible!? is it safe to even drink from there!?' Nevertheless, she didn't ask her mentor, otherwise she might look like a fool. She thought that this may be Riverclan territory, but she thought back to what her mother and father said. Wouldn't Riverclan have multiple rivers running through their territory like their father once told him? She needed to inspect the grounds more. 

"Excuse me Adderfrost," she said as she move past her mentor and went to the black river. It was rather thin, and the water wasn't flowing in any direction. It seemed that it was frozen completely. She smelled the foreign scent get stronger, but Shadowclan's scent was still there, reassuring Echopaw that she was still in her right. She gave the river a little touch, making sure she didn't fall in and drown. But as soon as she touched it she met something solid. It was hard under her paws unlike the soft grass and it seemed that it wasn't water at all. In fact, it wasn't even a river. Echopaw felt her pelt grow hot with embarrassment as she returned back to her mentor. A river, what was she thinking?! Though she narrowed it down, it was Riverclan because she couldn't see any rivers in the next territory. She mewed to her mentor, "Is it Thunderclan territory?" She certainly hoped that she was right, she would be embarrass if she got it wrong.

She saw from the corner of her eye her mentor as Echopaw was inspecting the black river. She didn't say anything, but she felt her sharp yellow eyes watching her. Once she told her what the other clan might be, Adderfrost simply told her it was. Echopaw purred as a congratulations as a job well done to herself, as her mentor led them back to their previous place. Echopaw listened in as her mentor told her that they weren't at war with them, but something could happen that would make it otherwise. Echopaw flicked her ears as she heard this. Adderfrost turned to walk away but Echopaw gave a one last glance at the territory. She knew the warrior code well, because her parents, the queens, and elders have been drilling it in her head ever since she could open her eyes. She whsipered to herself, "Defend your Clan, even with your life. You may have friendships with cats from other Clans, but your loyalty must remain to your Clan, as one day you may meet them in battle. How stupid. I know my family comes before a feline in Thunderclan." She snorted and ran after Adderfrost.

It was mid-day by the time they got to Riverclan territory. The hot, summer sun was beating down on both cats as they stopped behind a line of bushes. Echopaw felt terrible: her paws ached from the walking, her stomach felt like it was about to cave into itself, and the sun wasn't helping the dryness of her throat. But she remained humble and silent about her needs. She no longer was a kit, therefore she had to care for the elders, kits, and queens before her now. The clan took care to make sure she survived and was fed well. Now, the least she could do was make sure that the others were fed before she could even lay a paw on a piece of prey. Plus, when leaf-bare comes she would have to go without food for some time when prey was gone, so in a way this would make it seem this is what Adeerfrost is trying to teach her. They could of easily ate something before they left. Echopaw figured that this was what she was doing. Plus, Adderfrost didn't eat anything when she left, so she must be hungry as well. Echopaw couldn't be selfish when Adderfrost was taking the time to show her around, in fact, be her mentor. She could have simple denied being her mentor, but she didn't. So echopaw wasn't going to be rude to Adderfrost. So she was going to keep her mouth shut.

Instead, she paid attention to what Adderfrost presented to her. It was another black river, or another black ground as Adderfrost told her opposite to the thunderpath was Riverclan's territory. Echopaw stared in awe as she finally was told that the black ground was a thunderpath. 'How could I be so stupid?!' she thought to herself as she remembered her father telling her about it a few times. How she suppose to know what it looked like though? Nevertheless, she scented the air for Riverclan's scent, the scent much softer then Thunderclan's, maybe even Shadowclan's. Echopaw probably assumed that it was because they swimmed a lot, thus why they're scent wasn't as musky.  Once she figured the scent, she nodded to her mentor. She knew Shadowclan and Riverclan weren't on good terms, she just didn't know why. She mewed to her mentor, "Why are we fighting with Riverclan?" 

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TAGGED: adderfrost

All while Echopaw learned the Riverclan scent, she saw from the corner of her eyes the sharp way her mentor looked at Riverclan's territory. It sent chills to her spine as Adderfrost uttered that Shadowclan didn't like cowards. But she learned they weren't in battle with them, yet. Though Echopaw found the answer pretty odd with the answer given. Felling a bit too bold(Cricketpaw was getting to her) she mewed, "I've heard about wars over prey and territory, but not over cowardliness," she padded to her mentor, "Though how is Riverclan being a coward any threat to us? In the way you make it sound, it seems that riverclanners are a bunch of pushovers filled with kittypets. Cowards won't try to invade Shadowclan territory, so what gives?" Echopaw thought that her mentor was being quite around the bush with her. If any horror story was told by any one, she would prefer it to be Adderfrost who did it. In the short time they've been together Echopaw made her out to be a cat with a sharp, but truthful tongue. She knew she would have to learn the horrors of the warrior world soon. Kits from the clan are born into a bubble of innocence before thrown into a world of chaos, and Echopaw knew after seeing warriors come in injured or hurt that she would have to accept it soon. But if her mentor didn't feel like it, then she was going to shut her mouth once more. 

Adderfrost turned to her, which Echopaw thought that she was in trouble, but Adderfrost asked if she was hungry. Echopaw was going to reply when her body already did it for her, a low rumbling in her stomach responded to Adderfrost question. Echopaw felt her ears burn with embarrassment as Adderfrost commented that it sounded like she was. She followed her mentor in silence as Adderfrost led them back into their own territory where Echopaw inhaled the sweet scent of her home. There, they were protected from the sun by the branches of the trees covering them and the bright light. She followed her some more into they were at the roots of a great pine tree, where Adderfrost scented the air. Adderfrost asked if their was anything they could it. Echopaw took a deep inhale as she tried to gather information. Her stomach went wild as she scented a mouse nearby. Her mouth salivated as she tried to gain composer of herself. "It's a mouse Adderfrost." She remembered the scent from back when they started to wean from their mother's milk, along with eating honey. She remembered her first real taste of it and reliving her first bite made it harder for her to focus. Echopaw mentally hit herself as she thought, 'Get a hold of yourself, you're absolutely pathetic if this is what a few hours does to you!'  

Echopaw then realized that it won't even go to her first if she even caught it, her clan came first and she needed to focus on it's location. She scented it east of where they were, not too far away. She heard little rustling in the bushes, where she figured the mouse may be hiding. She whispered to her mentor, "I think it's in the bushes, what do I do now?"

Echopaw felt completely panicked when Adderfrost told her to hunt her prey, that it was going to be her breakfast. She felt the fur on her neck rise as she widen her eyes at her mentor. They haven't even practiced any of the proper forms in order for her to start! For Adderfrost to do this, it was like she was sending Echopaw in battlefield blind! Echopaw couldn't complain though, as she stood there gaping at her mentor, the mouse could be getting away, and by now she was sure they would alert it of their position soon. She gave her mentor one last look as she saw her wrap her tail around her body, her eyes telling Echopaw all. Echopaw was hungry, and soon that drive to eat took over the need to understand what she was doing.

Instead, she depended on her skills she learned before when she was a kit. Every kit knew about the hunter's crouch, 'let's start with that,' she thought as she got into hunter's position, hindquarters in the air and front as close to the ground as possible. Once she deemed herself worthy, she scented the air once more in order to see if the mouse was still in the bush. As soon as she did that, her prize came out from under it, squeaking and chattering about. Echopaw felt the hunger in her stomach intensify as her eyes dilated. Echopaw figured that since it came from the bushes, then it's den must be in there, so she would have to separate it from their. 

She unsheathe her claws as she slowly crawled towards it, the blood pounding in her ears blocking out any other sound. Right now, it was just her and the mouse. That's all she needed to know. Once the mouse perked his head up, Echopaw knew she had to take advantage of the situation, so she charged at it. The mouse heard the little apprentice and started to scamper away into the bushes, but she blocked it's way to the den and clawed at it. The mouse gave a scream in pain as Echopaw caught it's leg, though not deep at all. She lunged at the small mouse, and it took that moment to scurry between her legs and right back into the bushes. Echopaw hissed in annoyance as she followed tail and dive into the bush in order to try to get her prize in a last effort. She was completely blind in the bush, she flailed about in the bush and dug her claws to the ground, until she heard something squeak in her right paw. She quickly applied pressure to it and set her teeth down on the little scrap of fur. It was completely berserk and started to move almost anywhere in order to get away from it's impending doom, but the weight of her paw and the unforgiving jaws meant certain death. Eventually it gave in and Echopaw let go as she stared down at the kill.

Echopaw stared down at what she saw as she tried to think what had happen. She also noticed that her legs dangled outside of the bush, she situated herself before grabbing her limp kill in her mouth as she poked her head out of the bush with prize at jaw. A little purr came out of her throat as she climbed out of the bushes and went up to her mentor, dropping her first ever kill in front of her feet. Echopaw felt leaves sticking out of her fur and was proven to her by one gently falling on her muzzle. But she quickly shook herself from the grip and mewed in happiness.